Those who haven’t visited Goa tend to imagine it as some kind of Indian Costa Brava but with more cosmic karma and, thanks to this image, many people vow never to set foot there. However, Goa, like everywhere in India, is never quite what you expect. So let me tell you more about it. Goa is India’s smallest state in terms of area and the fourth smallest in terms of population. Located on the west coast of India in the region known as the Konkan, it is bounded by the state of Maharashtra to the north, and by Karnataka to the east and south, while the Arabian Sea forms its western coast.
Panaji is the state's capital. Vasco da Gama is the largest city. The historic city of Margao still exhibits the influence of Portuguese culture. Portuguese first landed in Goa as merchants, in the early 16th century, and conquered it soon after. The Portuguese overseas territory existed for about 450 years, until it was annexed by India in 1961.
Renowned for its beaches, places of worship and world heritage architecture, Goa is visited by hundreds of thousands of international and domestic tourists each year. It also has rich flora and fauna, owing to its location on the Western Ghats range, which is classified as a biodiversity hot spot.
Even I was one of the tourist last year! During the last December Holidays, I went to Goa with my grandparents. It was an fun and enjoyable trip. We went to Goa from Mumbai by car hence it took us about 12 hours to reach Goa. We were all wearied by the time we reached the hotel called ‘ First World International Hotel.’ The weather in Goa was quite pleasant unlike the weather in Singapore which has high humidity. The following day we went to the counter to find out the place of interest in Goa. I found out from my dad that 75% of the people living were Christians due to the Portuguese occupation. I was shocked when I heard that!
We first went to the church called Basilica of Bom Jesus. The church was very enormous. It is one of the most world renowned churches because it contains the body St. Francis Xavier. Located in Old Goa, this church is rich in ornamentation. The Basilica of Bom Jesus enshrines the sacred remains of St. Francis Xavier, a member of the Society of Jesus who died on a sea voyage to China in 1552. Legend has it that when the body of Xavier was transferred to Goa the following year, the body was found as fresh as the day it was buried. Consequent to this miracle the title of 'Saint' was conferred on Xavier and his mortal remains, confined inside his tomb. It is believed that Francis Xavier's remains which are preserved in this church is still fresh today. Devotees from different parts of the world come to this church to offer their prayers. The body is kept for public to see after every ten years. 
Last exposition was in 2004.
Hence we left the church with the knowledge of Saint Francis Xavier. Just in front of the church, I saw a Monginis Cake Shop. Monginis cakes are famous in the whole Goa. Thus, we decided to buy a piece for each of us. When, I took the first bite, the soft cake and cream melted in my mouth. It was indeed a mouth watering dessert but I had to resist my temptation of eating another one because I knew the cake was very fatty. Next, we visited the Dona Paula Beach. This beach was fringed by palm trees and the casuarinas groves which added to the holiday mood. The sand there was very smooth hence we took off our shoes.Dona Paula Beach has also served as the setting for several Indian movies, increasing its popularity as a tourist spot. The beach was being thronged by hundreds of tourists. Although there were a lot of water sports activities, we did not try it out as we had experienced all that in another place so we knew the experience would be the same. After relaxing for sometime, we went back to the hotel for lunch. After a sumptuous lunch, we retired in our beds and we slept like logs until 5pm.
Then, we got ready to sit on a cruise to nowhere for one hour called 'Santa Monica'. It was quite a large ship. When we boarded, we sat on the top deck where the concert was going to be held. First we got to see the traditional dance of Goa. It is called the 'Konkani Dance'. Later the DJ called the couples to rock the dance floor. A respected amount of daring couples volunteered themselves. Their dance was accompanied by hit Bollywood songs. But a disaster soon took place. When the DJ asked the ladies to light the dance floor, now one was daring enough to go up and let herself out and show of her skills. But overall, it was an enjoyable experience in Goa. The following day, we bade Goa goodbye and left for Mumbai. But before going, we all bought a Goa shirt each and some seashells on which it was written ' I Love Goa.'
Panaji is the state's capital. Vasco da Gama is the largest city. The historic city of Margao still exhibits the influence of Portuguese culture. Portuguese first landed in Goa as merchants, in the early 16th century, and conquered it soon after. The Portuguese overseas territory existed for about 450 years, until it was annexed by India in 1961.
Renowned for its beaches, places of worship and world heritage architecture, Goa is visited by hundreds of thousands of international and domestic tourists each year. It also has rich flora and fauna, owing to its location on the Western Ghats range, which is classified as a biodiversity hot spot.
Even I was one of the tourist last year! During the last December Holidays, I went to Goa with my grandparents. It was an fun and enjoyable trip. We went to Goa from Mumbai by car hence it took us about 12 hours to reach Goa. We were all wearied by the time we reached the hotel called ‘ First World International Hotel.’ The weather in Goa was quite pleasant unlike the weather in Singapore which has high humidity. The following day we went to the counter to find out the place of interest in Goa. I found out from my dad that 75% of the people living were Christians due to the Portuguese occupation. I was shocked when I heard that!
We first went to the church called Basilica of Bom Jesus. The church was very enormous. It is one of the most world renowned churches because it contains the body St. Francis Xavier. Located in Old Goa, this church is rich in ornamentation. The Basilica of Bom Jesus enshrines the sacred remains of St. Francis Xavier, a member of the Society of Jesus who died on a sea voyage to China in 1552. Legend has it that when the body of Xavier was transferred to Goa the following year, the body was found as fresh as the day it was buried. Consequent to this miracle the title of 'Saint' was conferred on Xavier and his mortal remains, confined inside his tomb. It is believed that Francis Xavier's remains which are preserved in this church is still fresh today. Devotees from different parts of the world come to this church to offer their prayers. The body is kept for public to see after every ten years. 
Last exposition was in 2004.
Hence we left the church with the knowledge of Saint Francis Xavier. Just in front of the church, I saw a Monginis Cake Shop. Monginis cakes are famous in the whole Goa. Thus, we decided to buy a piece for each of us. When, I took the first bite, the soft cake and cream melted in my mouth. It was indeed a mouth watering dessert but I had to resist my temptation of eating another one because I knew the cake was very fatty. Next, we visited the Dona Paula Beach. This beach was fringed by palm trees and the casuarinas groves which added to the holiday mood. The sand there was very smooth hence we took off our shoes.Dona Paula Beach has also served as the setting for several Indian movies, increasing its popularity as a tourist spot. The beach was being thronged by hundreds of tourists. Although there were a lot of water sports activities, we did not try it out as we had experienced all that in another place so we knew the experience would be the same. After relaxing for sometime, we went back to the hotel for lunch. After a sumptuous lunch, we retired in our beds and we slept like logs until 5pm.Then, we got ready to sit on a cruise to nowhere for one hour called 'Santa Monica'. It was quite a large ship. When we boarded, we sat on the top deck where the concert was going to be held. First we got to see the traditional dance of Goa. It is called the 'Konkani Dance'. Later the DJ called the couples to rock the dance floor. A respected amount of daring couples volunteered themselves. Their dance was accompanied by hit Bollywood songs. But a disaster soon took place. When the DJ asked the ladies to light the dance floor, now one was daring enough to go up and let herself out and show of her skills. But overall, it was an enjoyable experience in Goa. The following day, we bade Goa goodbye and left for Mumbai. But before going, we all bought a Goa shirt each and some seashells on which it was written ' I Love Goa.'
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